Getting it right on the second try?

Transcription

1 Getting it right on the second try? Tenants views on the redevelopment of Toronto s Regent Park public housing Laura C. Johnson, School of Planning, University of Waterloo

2 OVERVIEW Introduction, background Re-redevelopment of Regent Park Research methods Results Resettlement outcomes Communications issues Tenant satisfaction with new housing New amenities, services in mixed use community Social mix Cultural meanings of housing Conclusions

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4 ORIGINAL REGENT PARK BACKGROUND 1950s slum clearance Modernist design Garden City, Towers in the Park Located off the street grid A stigmatized community Planners blamed for social ills Community featuring innovative services, agencies Diverse population, immigrants, young families, large families

5 RESEARCH CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES Goal: Understand Phase 1 tenants experiences of displacement and resettlement Collect tenants suggestions of ways to improve the displacement, relocation, resettlement process Document tenants evaluation of new housing, community Discover who returns inside the original boundaries? Who moves outside? Why?

6 METHOD Qualitative longitudinal study, Phase 1 tenants Volunteer sample, n=52 households Personal interviews with tenants and key informants Observation of some tenant interviews with relocation counselors Informal, in-kind support from TCHC housing authority Waterloo University research team

7 Comparing Regent Park to public housing elsewhere Ethno-cultural diversity, immigrant settlement, not black/white racial segregation Long tradition of community engagement Relatively low density development Exclusively residential land use Many larger housing units, including 4 and 5 bedrooms

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9 Notable features in redevelopment Public-private partnership, social mix Right of Return for original RGI tenants in good standing 1-1 replacement of 2083 RGI units, with units of like size Three off-site locations Redevelopment objective: Reconnect Regent Park with surrounding area Tenure blind architecture Increased density, mixed use New public spaces, amenities, sports, recreation, educational facilities

10 Figure 1 LOCATION OF REGENT PARK IN THE CITY OF TORONTO

11 Findings: Sense of community, power of place Residents expressed strong feelings of community Building portraits: Symbolic meanings, sense of loss Souvenirs, mementos are treasured Bricks, tattoos, addresses Ties cross ethno-cultural groupings Some former neighbours wished to be re-housed together

12 PHASE 1 SAMPLE RESETTLEMENT PATTERNS, 2013 Resettlement outcome Number of study households Resettled in new housing in Regent Park 21 Resettled in new housing nearby but about 1 km outside Regent Park footprint Awaiting new housing in Regent Park 4 10 Moved out of public (TCHC) housing 3 Stayed in alternative TCHC housing 6 Status unknown/lost 8 n = 52

13 Figure 2 Phase 1 tenants housing outcome, per cents, 2014, sample & population Sources: Survey (n=52) and TCHC (N=380) LCJ TCHC New RP housing New "RP" outside footprint Waiting for new RP Other TCHC Left TCHC

14 PHASE 1 FINDINGS at MIDPOINT About 60% RGI tenants returned From Phase 1 sample, 21/52 returned inside footprint, 10 in new units outside footprint 5 moved off-site by choice; 5 settled for offsite Revised plan altered proportions of RGI and market units, from 40% / 60% to 25% / 75% Some tenants wanted to relocate near neighbours; request denied by TCHC. Communication: tenants and housing authority Rumours, gossip channels; Idea of screening; send a man Tenants not permitted to view available new housing units before lease signed Some tenants had difficulty reading plans

15 FINDINGS: RESETTLEMENT Tenants pleased with new housing Exceptions: open kitchens, small room sizes Tenants appreciated most new amenities, services, facilities Those returning from off-site appreciated Regent Park s central location and walkability

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18 FINDINGS: Communication issues between tenants and TCHC Relocation was stressful; many tenants were critical of TCHC Lack of communication about procedures: First come, first served was demeaning, disorganized Frustration when changed to lottery Suspicions that TCHC was screening out undesirables Some felt pressured to resettle outside the original boundary Challenge of reading plans feelings of incompetence, dependency

19 RESIDENT VOICES Consultation isn t participation; some residents wanted real planning role Cultural values influence housing preferences Role of youth in interpreting policies to immigrant parents

20 CONCLUSIONS Relocation is stressful, changing policies especially difficult Neighbours develop bonds of friendship, relocation disrupts them Communication is important to keep tenants current Housing has important cultural meaning Technology can be used to illustrate new housing options Youth play important role in interpreting housing authority policy

21 Sense of community, power of place

22 REFERENCES Johnson, L.C. with R. Schippling, Regent Park revitalization: Young people s experience of relocation Ottawa: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Research report + DVD of 30 minute video. Johnson, L.C. and S. Fernandes Ask a Professor presentation, Oct 23, 2013, TD Centre of Learning, Regent Park Forthcoming Johnson, L.C. forthcoming October We call Regent Park home Chapter in R. Thomas, ed. Planning Canada: A Case Study Approach, Toronto: Oxford University Press Canada. Johnson, L.C. & R.E. Johnson: Regent Park Redux: Tenants and the re-planning of Canada s oldest public housing, LC Johnson and RE Johnson, Routledge, forthcoming 2016.